My Love
by EarthSpelledBackwards
Summary: When Bella's parents die she gets shipped off to her grandma's house to live with until she's 18. But all is not want it seems when she is whisked away to a place that you can't find on any map. Meeting the Prince doesn't help either. Will Bella find love or will forces outside her control keep her from finding love?
1. Preface

In the depths of the castle, below even the jails a queen moved with light steps. It was rare anyone came down this far into the jail but as of late she had spent a majority of her personal time down here. Even though it was a jail it wasn't dark or damp. You couldn't hear the yelling of the other prisoners. Those that had been imprisoned were far and few between for it was not the norm to allow people to rot but in term try and change their perspective. Take the negative energy that has been used for violence and make it something good. As the queen arrived to the last door on the hall she shooed the guards away, unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"I tried everything, I'm sorry but the council has passed judgement. I wish things were different. But at least you can rest assured that I will do everything thing in my power to make sure you are comfortable here." The queen's words rang cold and unemotional in the cell. The silence stretched on for some time. Until the clicks and metallic dragging sound of chains were heard.

A mumbling laugh was heard from the corner of the dark cell. When the second figure who inhabited this cell finally spoke her voice was scratchy as if it hadn't been used in year. "Oh please, like you really care. It was you that put me here. One day you won't be able to keep up this facade. You'll stop pretending and then completing forget about me. Like they did, like they all did. If not-"

"ENOUGH! Believe that you wish. I tried everything to stop this from happening but your choices have lead you here." With a heavy sigh she turned her back to the figure chained in the cell. "I will always love you and will always be on your side. But it was out of my hands this time. I will see you next week, sister…"

As she walked away she could hear her sister yelling, trying to get the last word in. As much as it pained her to leave her in that cell she above anyone had to abide by the laws.


	2. Chapter One

108 years later:

The principal's office was stuffy and crowded at the moment. Why I don't know. In the middle of class a gangly boy- Yorker or something- came in with a note requesting that I, Isabella Marie Swan, head to the front office. Of course people snickered and someone even had the nerve to fake whisper to everyone I must be getting expelled. But what else can you expect from high school students. The teacher has me wait until after she explained the class work to leave. The trek to the office wasn't long. What surprised me though was the amount of people in and around the office. The school I go to is names Herald M. Jacobs K-12 school. I think it was named after a football star that used to go here? The 3 main buildings being H for elementary school students, M for the middle school students and J for the high school students. There was a total of 500 students in the entire school. So there isn't ever a lot of people here. Nothing like my school in Seattle that has 2200 student in high school alone. So having, what seemed like 20 people trying to stuff themselves into the front office was a different experience than the usual sleepy manner of this school. Walking into the front office Ms. Cope upon hearing the door ring, turned in her chair.

"Oh it's you, the principle needs to speak to you dear." Her voice held a false sense of cheeriness. Like she wanted to act normal as to not make anyone nervous but was failing at it entirely.

"Do you know why?" I replied already tired of being here.

"I think its best you wait until he explains it to you."

With a sigh I moved towards the principles door, shoving my way through all the people. Not waiting to knock I opened the door and walked in. Principle Greene was at his desk, looked up as I entered, as if ready to reprimand who ever walked in without waiting to be called.

"I'm sorry but…Oh Ms. Swan please sit down. I'll be right back." He walked over to his door and stuck his head out. I could hear him take a deep breath before saying "Gentleman, Ms. Swan is here"

You could hear the stampede of footsteps that are what I assume were the people crowding the front office trying to make it into the principal's office first. I chuckled at the thought of them all rushing in at the same time only to all get wedged in the door way at once, unfortunately this didn't happen. In walked in professional looking men and women in suits as well as a couple police officers. All of them wore stone faces but underneath those faces were various emotions. Some seemed angry, tired, sad and eager. All of them worrying. The only person I recognized was Elazar, my family's lawyer.

After anyone was settled Mr. Greene sighed in a defeated way. His lackluster and cracking voice was unlike his usually overly cheery disposition.

"Ms Swan… I am sorry to have to tell you this but there has been an accident."

This got my attention. "Ookay? What kind of accident, and why are all of these people here? And why am I here?"

He sighed again before beginning to speak again, stumbling over his words.

"The accident has to do with your… your parents."

My thoughts immediately started racing No, this isn't right. It's not possible. Nope. My eyes narrowed. I opened my mouth to start speaking but nothing came out. I glanced around the room. My hands start to fidget as it starts to sink in. The police men, my family's lawyer, all of the extra people.

"Umm..Uuhh… I, I, I don't understand..." My chest felt tight. It felt like I couldn't breathe. The room started to feel hot. My mind started racing even faster trying to piece together what could have happened. After what felt like ages I tried to talk again.

"What happened?" my voice was quiet, uncertain, scared.

This time it was Elazar that spoke. "It seems like they were run off the road when driving home last week. When they didn't show up to work today, someone tried calling. When they couldn't get a hold on them we tried calling their travel agent to see if they took another trip without telling anyone. It seems that they were on their way home when they were run into the river. Upon further investigation it seems that they got into a verbal confrontation with another car while driving which caused them to drive off the road."

Towards the end of his speech I started chuckling. Everything in this moment seemed humorous. Of course the last thing they did was argue. My parents weren't the best people. They were snotty and self-absorbed. My father came from old money and during college he met my mother. When she came to him saying that she was pregnant, they were married in a month and I was born 6 months later. I never questioned that they cared for me but they never had time for a child. I think it was because they were so young when they had me. Neither of them was really ready for the responsibility of a child so I was often left with my grandmother on my mother's side when she visited or the current housekeeper. While I was home, my parents were out building their careers being young adults. My father went into investing and my mother became an interior designer. Together they were able to triple the family's money before my 12th birthday. It was always something they boasted about. While they worked hard for everything they did they slowly became more entitled and self-absorbed. I remember one time, around my 16th birthday my parents had just come back from London, they decided to take me out for dinner. While my food and the service was great, I watched as my parents picked apart everything and found faults in the smallest details. The server was crying by the end of the night. I don't remember going out to eat with them again. When I turned 17 I moved to Forks, Washington. I wanted to get away from my parents and their actions. Again I never doubted my parents love for me but they weren't ready to be parents and had the money to hire people to fill that role, so they did. But it makes since that they were arguing with someone when they died. All their arguing finally caught up with them it seems.

I was broken out of my thoughts by Mr. Greene speaking up again.

"Ms. Swan I don't think this is really the time to be laughing. Your parents have just died!"

Jumping out of my seat, I slammed my hands on to his desk, knocking over some of the desk toys he had.

"YOU have no right to tell me what to do, especially when it comes to my parents. You didn't even know them. Why are you even part of this conversation?" I looked sharply over to Elazar before speaking again "Why even is this conversation happening at school? With all of these random people?" By the time I was done I was out of breathe my chest heaving, my face twisted into a deep scowl. My eyes swiveled around the room daring anyone to answer, ready to tear into the next person that gave be a bad answer. I got a bit of my temper from my parents.

"What no answer?" The room was silent and thick with tension. I turned again. "No? Fine, I'm leaving."

I started moving towards the door but so did the officers. They blocked the door and put on their best police glace, all tight and action ready, hand near their belt in case anything broke out.

This time it was Elazar that spoke, his voice betrayed how tired he was. "Isabella I don't mean to be blunt but this was very unexpected so we must move fast to ensure your future and the futures of the people the depended on your parents. There are lawyers from both of your parent's jobs and one of my coworkers that helped manage your family's cases. The police are here because we didn't want you walking out or running off before we could fully talk to you. And as we don't know where you live we couldn't come to the house which is why we are here."

His words calmed me some but not by much. I still had questions. "So what does this mean going forward? My dad, while important, wasn't the top of the food chain. I'm sure there are other people that can take over his accounts. My mother has an assistant that knows the ins and outs of her current clients. I'm sure some of the other designers at her business could take over the current project with the help of her assistant. Any money left over should go back to the family."

Elazar's eyes widened in surprise the more I spoke. After taking a breath I continued.  
"Don't look at me like that. Just because I'm young and don't spend all of my time with my parents that doesn't mean I didn't know anything about them or their life. As for me I'm sure that I'll be fine here. I've lived without my parents for almost a year now and will be 18 in a couple months and-"

"I'll have to stop you right there Miss-" The one Elazar pointed out as this colleague came forward and stated talking, "-Under no circumstances are you able to live by yourself anymore. If we had known you were living by yourself this past year we would have done something to stop it. Because you are not 18 you have to live with a family member. Which in this case is a Maria Dwyer, age 59? Currently living in _Acre Valley_, Maine?" He looked down to a paper and back up as he read off my grandmother's name, age and hometown.

"But I'm almost 18-"

"I'm sorry there's nothing we can do. If you would like to open a case for emancipation we can do that but by the time the paper work is processed and everything is finalized you will be 18 so it seems unrealistic to move that way. But in any case we have already made arrangements with your grandmother and she is expecting you next week. We will give you that time to say goodbye to any friends and pack your possessions." Without waiting for any confirmation, he slid the papers back into a folder that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and stood before walking out. The other lawyers left with him leaving Elazar, Mr. Greene, and the police officers. After a look from Elazar the officers left too.

Elazar was about to speak but was cut off my Mr. Greene. "I'm sorry Ms. Swan, for your loss. You are excused for the rest of the day to clean out your locker and go home."

This sounded like a dismissal so I took my chance and bolted out of the door, to H building and to my locker. Slamming open the door, I begain to shove everything into my book bag. If they were just going to throw me out, then who cares! I never liked Mr. Greene anyway. I'm almost done when I hear the sound of dress shoes on linoleum floors. I looked up to find Elazar.

All he said was a brief "I will take you home" before turning to walk out of the school. I grabbed my last book and threw my locker closed. I ran to catch up with him got into his car. The drive to my house was mostly spent in silence, the only time I talked was to give directions.

Once arriving at my house Elazar pulled into the driveway and parked the car. He turned, "I will be back in 3 day to collect you and your things. If you need anything before that call. You don't have to close up the house, just pack what you want to bring to bring and throw away anything you don't want the cleaners to find. Everything else will be taken care of."

I nodded, grabbed my bag from the floor of the car and got out heading up to my house. Unlocking the front door I turned to watch Elazar pull out of the drive way and speed down the street. In the last hour my life had been completely changed in ways I can't even begin to think about. While rationally I know I should start packing or cleaning or something. All I can do is close the door, sink down to the floor and start to cry.


	3. Chapter Two

Three days had passed relatively quickly. My back still ached from having cried myself to sleep in front of the door. Most of the next day was spent in bed. I couldn't bring myself to get up and care about packing or cleaning or whatever. Everything seemed hopeless. It didn't help either that I had pictures of them by my bed. It was taken a few years ago. I had begged them to pretend for a little bit and take a family picture with me and they agreed. While I knew that the picture wasn't a good representative of our family I wanted one picture of a happy family. Day two was a little different. I had gotten a call from Elazar. Checking up on me and reminding me what I needed to do. The call was brief, much like the way he was in person.

So I got dresses, washed my face and went downstairs. While it wasn't strange being in this house alone, the loneliness had taken on a new meaning. A nice cup of tea- just straight black tea- and I was ready to start cleaning. As I was the only one living in this house long term it didn't take long to clean. Mostly some light dust and a few dishes.

Packing was a different matter. The majority of the furniture in the house held no meaning to me. When I first moved, my parents had sent enough money to be comfortable in the house. A few months ago I had started making plans to move because I was going to go to college. There was a women's center that I had volunteered at that was in need of a safe house or even a secondary location to help people. I made arrangements for them to take the house when I left. The items the held the most importance were in my room. My computer, and family photo were top on the list. It took around 6 hours to pack my room.

In the end I had two suit cases, my backpack and a couple boxes of books. I had headed downstairs to get actual food. As refreshing as the tea was, I need food. In the fridge I had enough for a BLT.

Then, just as I was about to continue packing, a knock came from the front door. Making my way there I could just make out the shape of Elazar in the window by the door.

"Good Afternoon, Elazar. I thought I wasn't going to see you until tomorrow?" I asked, questioning the unexpected visit, especially after the phone call this morning.

Instead of answering me, right away all he offered was a brief 'good afternoon' before pushing passed me into the house. He walked into the living room giving the room a brief scan. After what seemed like an eternity he turned to me and started speaking with a disdainful frown on his face.

"After talking with you this morning, I was unsure weather you would be productive today. So I thought I would come in person to ensure that at the very least you had your bags packed because the house keeper can clean the rest. I-"

I cut him off "Now wait a second! I was asked to pack and clean the house and gave my word. If there is something that I take pride in is that I keep my word. The house while not squeaky clean, is acceptable and I have already packed my possession. The furniture I don't care much about, if anything I was thinking of donating the house and everything in it to the women's shelter. Everything that I want to go with me is already packed upstairs." I finished with a huff. I was angry because he was questioning my word.

"My apologies, Ms. Swan. I was merely trying to check in on you." He said, trying to placate me. His words surprised me, this version of Elazar was very different from the one from yesterday or even this morning on the phone.

"I'm sorry for interrupting as well. Can I offer you anything to drink? I'm guessing you are here to talk." I reply, turning my back and heading for the kitchen.

"No, thank you, Ms. Swan. But since you are ready to leave?" he passed giving me the chance to nod, "Then we can leave now."

I took a second to answer. As much as I knew leaving was inevitable, I wasn't ready to go. After a couple minutes of silence he started to speak again.

"I know that you aren't happy about leaving, but the sooner you are with family the better. Not just for legal reasons but you have just lost your parents. You need someone to stay with to morn. If your ready it's time to leave. I will take the keys to… you said the women's shelter?" He said this with a since of finality. I knew this was the end of the conversation. Even if I wasn't ready to leave, I was leaving.

"Ok. I'll grab my things. I do have a couple boxes, I need help with." I started walking up the stairs and towards my room. I could hear his steps behind me. As I walked into my room, for probably the last time, I took one last looked around my room. This was my house. I have built a life hear, as a singular person. It was sad for it to come to an end.

After moving the last of my items into the car, I said goodbye to the house and turned the keys over to Elazar. The car ride to the airport was long. How we even got tickets was a mystery. I had my headphones in for the entire trip. Sea-Tac airport was busy, but that wasn't unusual. Elezar dropped me off handing off the ticket and heading around to the back of the car.

As he opened up the trunk he started speaking.

"You won't be able to take the boxes with you but we should be able to get the suitcases on the plane. I will head to the post office to send the boxes next. Your flight is with United Airlines, it should be taking off in about an hour and a half."

I replied with a brief okay and a thank you before grabbing my bags. It was a bit of a struggle but I didn't have a long walk to the gate to drop off my bags. The only thing I kept with me was my backpack.

Security was long but didn't pose any issues. When I got to the gate itself I still had about forty-five minutes before the flight boarded. I chose a seat by the window and waited.

The best part of flying is when we just break though the cloud cover and all you see is sun and clouds painted in pinks and purples. For a few seconds everything stoppes and it felt as though time slowed. Some days I wish I could just stay up here. Above the clouds, away from people and away from stress. A breath of fresh air from everything.

But soon the moment ended. As the plane started to descend reality started setting in again. Soon I would be moving in with my grandmother, starting a new school and trying to figure out my life again.

The Presque Isle airport was completely different than Sea-Tac or any of the airports on the west coast but it was easy to navigate. After getting my bags from baggage claim and getting outside I realized I had no clue how I would be getting to my grandmother's house. I had cash on me, so it looked like the best choice was getting a cab. Especially since it didn't seem like there was anyone here to pick me up. Acre Valley was about a thirty minute drive from the airport, so I flagged down a taxi and I was on my way.

Driving away from the airport the city turned into country side and then gave way to thick forests. They looked even denser then the ones surrounding Forks but it was nice to see something at least somewhat familiar. It would have been my nightmare to live anywhere with a lot of sun or heat. When I was younger my parents wanted to move me to Arizona. The sun, desert, dry everything! Just thinking about it makes me want to puke. The reason Forks was inviting was because of it separated nature from the rest of the world. Seattle was teeming with people and life. You couldn't go anywhere without something happening. Forks was better. While the small town life could get boring quickly I had always enjoyed my independence and solitude. Forks gave me the chance to grow and breathe. I will forever be thankful for the time I spent in Forks.

The main street of Acre Valley had a few newer shops but the majority of the stores looked like old building and restaurants. It had the same small town charm that Forks had. My grandmother's house was outside of town. So it asked him to take me as far as the old drive way that led to her house. If you didn't know it was there, no one would notice it. If the Fork's houses was near the woods, Grandmother's house was in the middle of nowhere.

I took the time to watch him drive off. A cloud of dust in his wake. As soon as he was out of sight I threw my backpack on and grabbed the rest of my bags. It was about a mile walk down to her house. If I was lucky I would make it to the house right after night fall.

The road wasn't paved so the trip was slow but I took the time to look around. Maybe I would spot deer or wildlife. If you lived in a small town on the edge of the woods, people would develop horror stories about people disappearing into the woods. No doubt there would be stories here too, but I had learned to discredit a lot of those stories. While being by myself near the woods had never been an issue in Forks, something was different about these woods. As the sun started sinking lower, crickets and lighting bugs started to come out.

It was twilight now, and I swear I could feel eye on my back. I didn't want to look behind me though. As long as I didn't look behind me I couldn't confirm that there was something behind me and I couldn't confirms there wasn't something behind me. Just keep walking.

Had Bella Swan looked behind her she might have been able to see the pair of eyes looking from inside the forest. Those eyes belonged to a prince, not that he looked like the ones from the fairy tale, but a prince none the less. And as he hated his title more than anything, most people just call him Edward. All he wanted was -

"WHAT'S UP!?" The voice rang out behind Edward. He jumped, startled at the loud voice behind him. With a groan Edward turned to look at this older brother, Emmett. His brother while older and also a prince (and at one time the crown prince) liked to goof off.

"Shut up! She's going to hear you" Edward blurted out trying to hush his brother before the girl heard them. Looking away from his brother he looked again at the girl. She walked with a grace he hadn't seen in years. There were things you could teach and things you couldn't. The courts could teach you how to act graceful but those who act couldn't hold a candle to those born with grace.

"Edward, oh, Edward… Where'd you go? We're going to be late and I'm not going to explain to Esme when we show up late." Emmett was once again budding into my personal thoughts and time. Soon. It would happen soon. With a final look I turned by back on her retreating form.

"It's nothing Emmett. We should be heading back now."

Brushing past Emmett. I walked deeper into the forest.


	4. Chapter Three

It wasn't long before I could see light at the end of the drive way. Her house wasn't small, but it looked cozy. I sped up in hopes of getting there sooner. I hadn't seen my grandmother in years. My memories of her were blurry and mostly feelings. I remember warmth and adventure. It seemed like every time I was here something happened, but that wasn't something that I would call fact. Grandmother was my father's mother. Her name is Marie K. Black. She married by grandfather, Charles Swan Sr. They had two sons, Charlie junior and Billy. I think when I was young we all used to see each other a lot, but sometime after my tenth birthday we stopped seeing Uncle Billy. I think there was a fight. The last time we saw them I remember it was loud and there was shouting. My parents rushed me into the car and we left quickly. My dad never spoke about his family after the fight. If anyone outside the family asked about it he would always say that he had no family besides my mother and me. The one time I asked him, his face turned cold and he told me to never ask about him again. It would be better is I just forgot about them.

Walking up to the door, it looked like it had been painted recently. The flower boxes weeded and kept up with. Honeysuckle and Foxglove were always her favorite if memory serves. I raised my hand to knock before dropping it again. While the last few days seemed to breeze by now that I was here there was a heaviness that I didn't know how to deal with.

Suddenly, a howl pierced the night and I knocked quickly. There was a sharp sound inside and the sound of footsteps approaching the door. The red door swung open quickly and warm arms wrapped around my frame.

"Oh, my dear! You're finally here!" Her voice was warm and aged. "I can't believe it took you so long. You must be tired."

She rushed me inside, my bags along with me. Her house smelled of cookies and almond. The walls were filled with pictures. I could identify my father and grandparents. There was even some of my mother and myself. Then there was those that I couldn't identify but those seemed familiar. Smiling faces that were mixed in with my families. I was drawn to a small frame. It looked old and weathered, the once curled edges were forced flat by the glass in the frame. It looked as if it has been folded and kept in a pocket and opened regularly. The lady in the picture reminded me of what I thought my grandmother would have looked like when she was my age. The other one in the photo though didn't look familiar at all. Light hair topped a pale face with a kind smile and light eyes. He looked-

"That's me and my friend. His name was Carlisle." Grandmother's voice broke through my thoughts. "I knew him when I was your age. Disappeared maybe 2 weeks after that photo was taken."

"He disappeared?" I questioned.

"Yes." Her answer seemed final, like she wasn't willing to finish the story. "Never mind that dearie. Let's get you settled. Have you eaten dinner yet? I can warm something up for you?" Taking my hand, she led me though the house. She had the same worn couch and recliner. The dining room table was scuffed and scratched. I could see flecked of paint here and there.

"I cleaned up your Father's old room. Next weekend we can go try and find some nice bedding and curtains to make it a little more you?" The room was mostly grey and blue. An old quilt on the bed. The walls her a plain white but posters had once adored the wall. The twin bed was set against the wall with a bookshelf and desk against the other wall. I could imagine my father sitting on the bed reading or working at the old desk. Having friends over and hanging out. Before I moved away from my parents, my father was always in his office working at his desk. His glasses perched on the end of his nose, heavy eyebrows scrunched down. His dark mustache twitch even now and again. Before I knew it my vison became fuzzy and I could hear someone gasping.

Those same warm arms that greeted me before were once again around me.

"I'm sorry dearie. I didn't mean to make you cry. I thought I might bring you some comfort to be in this room. But-" I stopped her before she could continue.

"I was imaging what it would have looked like when he was in here working. When I was younger, I would sneak into his office and see him working. I bet he looked the same working here. Thank you so much for letting me be here." I have her a teary smile.

Her eyes misted over and instead of answering she just hugged me again. After a few minutes. She released me and wiped her eyes with a tissue I grabbed from the desk.

"It has been a late night and a long weekend. I'll leave you alone to settle and get around for bed. Then come have a cup of tea with me."

With that she moved out of the room and closed the door behind her. It didn't take long to unpack. My backpack held knickknacks and technologies like my computer. One suitcase was full of clothes while the other was a mix of clothes and books. I chose not to unpack the clothes yet. The books were moved to the bookshelf, leaving spaces for the books that were packed in boxes. Grabbing a pair of PJs, I moved to the bathroom.

It was always been peaceful for me to get ready in the morning and ready for bed at night. These were things that never changed, and always had to be done. I can always count on those things. The steps came easy to me and they were done quickly. My feet padded against the cold floors as I made my way to the kitchen. Grandmother was mumming softly while going around the kitchen.

"Thank you to much for taking me in." I spoke softly, a little nervous. My eyes were downcast. After crying, I felt a little rung out and not as confident as I was before.

"Your family. As long as I live in this house it will always be a safe haven for anyone in our family." Her words were spoken in a clear, strong voice. Almost as if spoken time and time again.

"Now come and help. The water is about done. Come and pick out a tea cup. We have chamomile tea and I have some honey to sweeten it. Grab the teacup with red and orange lilies for me." Having set me to my task she turned back to the boiling water. She turned back to the water on the stove.

The cabinet she pointed to had glass doors so that you could see inside of it. Opening them, the 3 shelves were neatly filled with teacups. One with red and orange lilies was on the first shelf in the very front. The handle was slightly worn. It looked like a favorite. Setting her choice cup on the counter, I turned back to ponder the others. They were all very different. My eyes was drawing to one with purple flowers. Another had red roses on the outside and the inside was all black. One with yellow roses caught my eye. It was stashed near the back, and had a little dust on it. It hadn't been used in a while it seemed. Taking it to the sink I washed and dried it carefully.

"Are you almost done? The tea is done brewing." Her voice was light again. The seriousness of the last conversation gone.

"Yes. Is it ok to use this one?" I showed her my selection turning it over to make sure it was completely dry.

"Hmm. Is that the one you like?" She questioned. The look in her eyes were strange, clouded as if caught in a memory. I waited for a further explanation but none came.

"Grandma? Is everything ok?" I was concerned now. I reached out to touch her arm. It had been a few minutes since she last talked. She seemed to wake up at this and just gave me a weary smile.

"Sorry. Old memories have a way of coming up at the worst of times." She finally said.

"It's my fault. I didn't meant to bring up anything. I can always choose another tea cup if you want me too?" I turned back towards the cupboard about to put it away.

"Oh, no. It's fine. Use it. A teacup does nothing sitting on a shelf collecting dust."

Sitting down with both cups. She brought the pot over and poured us both of a cup. Taking a sip, I was hit with familiar smells. It relaxed me instantly. We sat for a while, both caught up in thoughts and feelings. At the end of my cup I reached over to pour another and moved to pour her one too.

Before taking another sip, she took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye before she began to speak.

"So now that you're here, we have to talk about a couple of things. Firstly, there are some rules. We live in the woods. I'm not sure if you like to go hiking, and I don't care if you do, all that I asked is that if you do, stay on the paths. And never go at night. The animals usually stay away from the trials but you never know. Secondly, I want you to finish school. In an actual school. Not online, or just get a GED but old fashioned brick school. There is one is town and that I signed you up for. You start next week. Other than that, all I ask is that you respect the house. No parties, or bringing in mud or anything else. But I don't expect those should be hard. How does that sound to you?"

I laughed a little and replied "that sounds wonderful!"

There wasn't a lot that happened after that. We talked about unimportant things and eventually finished the pot of tea. I told her I would take care of the dishes and she went into bed after wishing me a good night. The washing didn't take long. I put the teacups back into the cupboard. Making sure to make room for my teacup next to hers. The teapot I left it on the stove. Going to bed wasn't hard, I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

The morning came quickly. Getting around for the day, I chose clothes to hike. Cargo pants and a tank top with a hoodie, seemed like a good choice. Hiking wasn't my favorite activity but I wanted to look around a little more. Hopefully, in the light of the day, the forest would look much friendlier. After breakfast, grandmother set out for town after telling me she was heading to play cards with friends. She would be back around three and told me to relax and get settled until then. I packed a small bag with water and snacks, as well as a book and a blanket in case I found a place to read. Then I set out.

The path was easy to find. It was marked with a stone archway and covered in vines with purple flowers. It was a little strange. I'd have to ask her about it later. The path was just wide enough for two people and cut through the forest twisting and turning to go around trees. I hiked for a couple of miles at least, before stopping to eat lunch. There has been the occasional bird but none of the big animals that were usually in woods this dense. Although I hadn't been quiet or graceful, so it was also possible I scared them off with the noise I made. It didn't look like I would find a place to lay the blanket out. I moved to turn back. Maybe I could make it back to the house and eat there? I back stepped a couple of times before hitting something hard and warm.

"Can I help you?" A voice rang out behind me. I whirled around and before me there was a guy? My age maybe but that didn't stop the idea that he might be a kidnapper or murderer run though my head. Was he following me? Why didn't he stop me before I hit him?

"Where did you come from?" I asked. Startled and weary I started to back away slowly. Away from my intended direction which was back towards the house and farther down the trail. If I could run fast enough I might be able to lose him in the forest.

"I asked you first." He replied playfully. He was teasing me now? Great. Possible murderer or kidnapper or whatever was teasing me now. That would make anyone feel better? Wong! I quickly snapped back.

"Why should I answer first? Even though you asked the question first, you were also the one walking all creepy and sneaking up on people in the middle of the forest?!" My tone was accusing.

He just gave me a crooked smile before dipping into a low bow.

"My apologies. I did not mean to cause you fright. I was taking a walk and thought I heard someone lost. I thought you might need some assistance." His voice, like velvet, was modest and strong. His words though felt like they were from another time. There was no one that I knew of that spoke so, so, so old. I slapped a hand over my mouth to try and keep my laugh in. I shouldn't find this funny but for whatever reason I couldn't stop myself from laughing. His smile dropped off of his face after a few seconds of watching be try not to laugh.

"What?" his voice had taken on an irritated tone.

"I'm sorry. I… I… I have never heard anyone talk like that outside of romance stories or old time TV. It took me by surprise. I didn't mean to laugh. I'm sorry." I gasped out. Trying to catch my breath, I looked up at him to apologies again, giving him a smile. I saw the smile on his face as well.

"I guess I could forgive you, but I ask of only one thing in payment?" I knew I was at least someone forgiven because the teasing edge was back in his voice. After asking he asked for my name. I paused for a second, remembering that he might be a murderer/kidnapper/whatever. Then it hit me. Grandmother said that there was a school in town. He might be one of the only other teenagers in town. Deciding to take the chance I gave him my name.

"Bella. Well, Isabella, but I prefer Bella. What is your name?"

He smiled again. This time a full smile that lit up his entire face, before replying.

"Edward, My name is Edward."


End file.
